Author: Chalian Meline

TAB Editorial: The right decision

GateHouse News Service
Wed Sep 19, 2007, 12:00 AM EDT

Newton –

For years, a sign hung in the window of the Executive Office at City
Hall proudly broadcasting one of the priorities of Mayor David Cohen’s
administration: Newton is a place where respect for individual and
group differences is actively encouraged, and where there is "No Place
for Hate."

The city was one of the earlier communities in the state to receive
certification from the Anti-Defamation League declaring it a No Place
for Hate community. And, with the Human Rights Commission’s vote last
week and Cohen’s subsequent decision yesterday, Newton becomes one of
the first communities to sever ties with the program.

The ADL program was initially designed to encourage municipalities to
build understanding and respect for differences, and to inhibit
tensions and hate crimes. Over the years, the city has held a number
of programs as part of its No Place for Hate campaign, including
vigils, a rally protesting anti-Semitic and antigay messages, an essay
contest, lectures, movies and discussions.

In short, No Place for Hate has defined how many of us in Newton see our city.

Cohen made the right decision in opting to pull out of a program that
is practically endorsing hypocrisy. ADL National Director Abraham
Foxman continues to play with words when he says that the consequences
of the Armenian massacre of WWI were "tantamount to genocide." In too
many instances, the media is letting him get away with his subtle
distinction that allows him to sidestep directly labeling the tragedy
a genocide.

But Newton – along with Watertown and Belmont – is calling Foxman on
his ambiguity. Cohen said in his statement that he supports the Human
Rights Commission in its insistence that the national ADL take
definitive action, including endorsing a congressional resolution
appropriately labeling the genocide.

The launch of the No Place for Hate program is indicative of the
excellent work the ADL has done over the years. We are proud that
Newton has participated in the program, and we are equally proud that
our community severed ties in order to make a very important
statement.

The TAB applauds Mayor Cohen and the Newton Human Rights Commission
for making what was likely a very complicated and difficult decision.

Source: 714

LOS ANGELES: BOND BETWEEN ARMENIAN, EPISCOPAL CHURCHES INTENSIFIES
By Pat McCaughan

Episcopal-Life, NY
September 17, 2007

[Episcopal News Service] Fragrant incense mingled with the lilting
voices of Armenian and Episcopal choirs as St. John’s Episcopal
Church on September 15 hosted the 80th anniversary celebration of the
Western Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church of North America,
solidifying a growing bond between the Los Angeles-area churches.

Some worshippers were moved to tears, others reached out in reverence
and blessing to touch, some to kiss the gold-threaded robes of
Archbishop Hovnan Derderian and Bishop J. Jon Bruno of the Episcopal
Diocese of Los Angeles during the solemn Evensong procession Saturday
into St. John’s sanctuary. About 750 of the faithful gathered for
the anniversary celebration, characterized by unity and hope, and
followed by an outdoor reception beneath a pitched tent.

"Welcome to our house. I feel like we’ve been adopted by the Armenian
Church into the Holy See; we’ve wandered apart too long," Bruno told
the gathering during a sermon frequently interrupted by applause.

Derderian presented Bruno with a hand-carved Armenian stone depicting
the cross, the theme of the celebration which was held the day after
Holy Cross Day, "in recognition of and appreciation for Bruno’s
leadership, collaboration with our church [and his] open heart for
all," Derderian said.

"His love is for everybody," Derderian said of Bruno.

"This is the great gift he has brought to the Christian community
and all other denominations. He has always opened doors and hearts in
assisting and accommodating the Armenian church, helping us to open
churches while helping us maintain our identity, with the respect
and recognition of our rich history and traditions."

Ecumenical dialogue: bringing ‘peace into hearts of communities’ The
anniversary celebration grew out of an ecumenical dialogue between the
churches, initiated by Derderian, which has blossomed into an ongoing
relationship between leadership and laity, said the Rev. Dr. Gwynne
Guibord, ecumenical officer for the Diocese of Los Angeles.

"His Eminence has been very intentional in reaching out ecumenically
to the various communities; our first dialogue was in November,
2005 and we have been meeting on a fairly regular basis since."

Since an initial gathering of leaders the dialogue has expanded to
include youth and women’s groups.

Committees focusing on religious education, social justice, liturgy
and youth ministry have been established and plans are in the works
for future collaboration and projects, said Guibord, who has chaired
the dialogue group.

The 1,700-year-old Armenian Apostolic Church’s roots date to the fourth
century, when St. Gregory the Illuminator formally established the
church in Armenia. He was raised a Christian in Cappadocia, and was
consecrated the first bishop of Armenia by Leontius, the metropolitan
of Caesarea. According to tradition, he saw a vision of Christ who
told him where to build the church. He is called St. Gregory the
Illuminator for enlightening the nations with the light of the Gospel
through baptism. The Armenian church broke with the orthodox church
after the Council of Chalcedon.

The church’s primate is the catholicos of Yejmidzin, Armenia; Karekin
II became catholicos in 1999. Like the Episcopal Church, its priests
may marry.

The first Armenian Church in the United States was built in Worcester,
Massachusetts in 1891. The church has grown with each wave of
immigration, particularly after the 1915 Armenian genocide at the
hands of the Turkish Ottoman Empire and, more recently, because of
political unrest in Iran, Lebanon and Iraq and the dismantling of
the Soviet Union, Derderian said.

The western diocese was officially established November 28, 1927, and
encompasses the area west of Mississippi, including Hawaii and Alaska,
Derderian said. Headquartered in Burbank, California, it includes more
than 50 churches and is the largest outside Armenia. It is believed
there are about 300,000 Armenians in Southern California and about
one million in the United States.

He and other church leaders recently consecrated a new church in
Pasadena and there are plans to break ground for a Burbank cathedral
in October, and to build churches in Palm Desert, and possibly in
Seattle and other areas in the near future.

Genocide remembered; future charted Guibord said that the dialogue
groups have also commemorated, for the past several years, the 1915
Armenian genocide, and "other genocides that have taken place and
continue to take place."

"One of the great heartaches is that there are many people who don’t
believe the Armenian genocide ever happened and it is not possible
to heal without it.

And of course, the huge concern for any body of people that has
suffered through any violence is that it’s going to happen again,"
she said.

Ecumenical dialogue is a way to acknowledge it and to come to a deeper
understanding. "The more we understand one another, the more relational
we are with people of other faiths in our daily lives, the less likely
we will harm in any way theologically, psychologically or spiritually,
our brothers and sisters," Guibord said.

Derderian said the ecumenical dialogues offer hope, "because genocide
against Armenians, if it is not recognized, is genocide against
humanity.

"As Christian leaders, we have the moral obligation to be in good
dialogue, genuine dialogue, because we believe in the same God.

"The Word of God should not and cannot be a reason for separation,"
he added. "At times in the history of Christianity, the interpretation
has separated nations and people and communities and that is, to my
understanding, against the spirit of Christianity.

There is more reason for dialogue, if there are differences."

— The Rev. Patricia McCaughan is senior associate for parish life
at St. George’s Church in Laguna Hills and senior correspondent for
the Episcopal News Service.

FREEDOMS BASED ON CRIME MUST COME TO AN END

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
18.09.2007

Events that have occurred in Turkey over in the past week are enough
for those striving for democracy to urge for the installation of the
supremacy of the law in my country.

Last week the Supreme Court of Appeals overturned the acquittals
of Professor Ýbrahim Kabaoðlu and Professor Baskýn Oran on charges
relating to a report on minorities. This report, prepared by a human
rights advisory body affiliated with the Prime Ministry, threatens
the indivisibility of the state with its suggestion of broadening
the definition of "minority," the Supreme Court of Appeals stated in
its ruling.

Again last week, a song sung by Turkish singer Ýsmail Turut, coupled
with a video, was uploaded to YouTube.

The song and the video scenes hailed the murder suspects of Hrant
Dink, the Turkish-Armenian journalist killed in Ýstanbul in January
of this year.

Sabah daily portrayed the Turut event and the Supreme Court of Appeals
decision in a striking way on its front page under the headline,
"This is the clear and present danger." The article noted, "While
Baskýn Oran’s report is seen as a clear and present danger, the video
and song that praise political murders are openly aired." (Sabah,
Sept. 16, 2007)

Finally acting on media reports, Ýstanbul’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office
launched an investigation yesterday into singer Turut and the lyricist
of the song praising Dink’s murder suspects.

In the midst of government efforts to introduce a new constitution
to replace the 1982 document dictated by the military, these events
once again remind us how crucial it is to change the mindset of those
who are provoking or staying indifferent to unlawful acts. We should
establish a mechanism that has been forcing those to act in line
with the supremacy of the rule of law instead of paving the way for
legalizing unlawful acts.

The primary emphasis should be given to education, through which
every Turk should be taught what human rights means and what the grave
consequences of their violation will mean for the country’s prosperity.

Another striking event took place recently when retired noncommissioned
officers took the military to the European Court of Human Rights. The
Turkish Retired Noncommissioned Officers Association (TEMAD) finally
decided to go to the European court when it lost its 40-year-long
legal battle in Turkey over its search to participate in the running
or the Turkish Armed Forces Assistance Center (OYAK) and fully benefit
from its funds. (Umur Talu, Sabah, Sept. 17, 2007)

OYAK is a military-controlled fundraising board turned big business.

Noncommissioned officers members comprise almost 70 percent of the
strength of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and the basic funds of
OYAK come from compulsory contributions from TSK members. But TEMAD
has failed in its long fight to fully benefit from the funds created
from the salaries of its members and to participate in the management
of OYAK. (Umur Talu, Sabah, Sept. 17, 2007)

TEMAD has decided to continue its struggle in Strasbourg.

Dengir Mir Mehmet Fýrat, deputy chairman of the ruling Justice and
Development Party (AK Party), said over the weekend that a draft
constitution has now emerged that reflects the will of the political
authority.

"The new constitution will be individual-centered, supportive of
freedoms, while deepening democracy, institutionalizing the legal
state concept with a civilian nature."

Fýrat’s description of the new constitution sounds good, but another
AK Party deputy, Husrev Kutlu, said during a weekend meeting in
Ankara that he did not believe a "very civilian and very democratic"
constitution would emerge." (ANKA news agency, Sept. 16, 2007)

"Because," Kutlu said, "those involved in the constitution drafting
board will have the concern of ‘What will the military think?’ while
debating each article of the document. Thus I am concerned that we
will not have the constitution that we have been longing for. The
biggest problem in Turkey is who will protect us (the Turks) from
those protectors," he said, in a reference to military trusteeship; the
Turkish military sees itself as the guarantor of the secular republic.

Indeed, most of the debate over the new constitution has centered
on issues that could have touched upon the military’s strong role in
Turkey’s political life.

Though there are some changes being made in the constitution that might
lessen the military’s intervention in the political life, as Kutlu
mentioned, courageous steps to end military trusteeship may take time.

There are some other shortcomings that should be corrected in the
draft constitution, such as gender rights, which currently portray
women as a group that needs to be protected rather than seeing women
as individuals deserving of equal rights with men.

The recent events, coupled with introducing a civilian constitution
to the country, highlight the vital nature of the changes that need
to be made in our own minds regarding respect for the rule of law.

–Boundary_(ID_7jMpqlL7iMV8/3R/FgIU8g)–

MATTHEW BRYZA: "MY MARRIAGE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MY MEDIATING MISSION"

Azeri Press Agency
[ 18 Sep 2007 14:01 ]

US co-chair of OSCE Minsk group Matthew Bryza said that his marriage
with Turkish woman Zeyno Baran will not influence on his mediating
mission on Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement.

Matthew Bryza stressed that his lifestyle and way of work are quite
different form those of Zeyno’s: "My job and my family are different. I
love my family as much as I love my job."

There is such a public opinion in Armenia that Matthew Bryza’s marriage
with Zeyno Baran will interfere with his neutral position. Armenians
link it to Turkey’s backing Azerbaijan’s stance in the settlement of
Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

TWO COMPANIES BID FOR ARMENIAN RAILROAD

Lragir.am
14-09-2007 14:06:24

The minister of communication and transport Andranik Manukyan told
reporters today the Russian Railways and the Indian Railways companies
bid for the concession on the Armenian railroad company. Andranik
Manukyan said the deadline for submitting documents is September
21, the documents will be studied until October 15. According to
the minister, the terms of the concession are: 10 million dollars
in advance, transfer of 2 percent of income from shipment to the
government, investment of 170 million dollars within 10 years.

An Evening with Orhan Pamuk
Friday, October 19, 2007 @ 8:00 PM, Campbell Hall

2006 Nobel Prize Laureate in Literature

`The great and almost irresistibly beguiling Turkish novelist.’ The New York
Times Book Review

Author Orhan Pamuk has gained international recognition for his compelling
works of fiction. His landmark novel The Black Book (Kara Kitap) signified a
definite break from the social realism of Turkish literature and provoked
worldwide debate for its Sufism references. Pamuk’s most recent work, Snow
(Kar), is a tale of love and poetry that illustrates the political and
religious conflicts that characterize modern Turkey. A Nobel Laureate, Pamuk
has been honored with more than a dozen literary awards and has had his work
translated into more than 40 languages.

Books will be available for purchase and signing.

SHANEE BOWS TO THE ‘KILLER QUEEN’

Barking & Dagenham Recorder, UK
12 September 2007

SHANEE MARTIN’S hopes of lifting the WBA female world flyweight
championship were crushed when she suffered a three-round defeat at
the hands of Armenian title-holder Susi Kentikian at the Burg-Wachter
Castello Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany on Friday night, writes LEN
WHALEY.

The east London-trained fighter travelled to Germany knowing she
faced the toughest test of her career against her undefeated rival,
the East European champion, backed by the German show promoters and
a partisan 3,500 crowd in Dusseldorf.

Nineteen-year-old Kentikian, currently based in Hamburg where she
is billed as the ‘Killer Queen’, made it 18 straight victories with
her 14th inside-the-distance victory as she proved too strong for
her challenger.

Martin, trained by Jason Rowland, former world WBU light-welterweight
champion, was cruelly robbed of the WIBF flyweight championship when
she travelled to Hungary and was the victim of a home-town decision
against Viktoria Milo in May.

The clash in Dusseldorf gave her the chance to bounce back with the
best win of her career but the big-punching Kentikian just had too
much power on the night.

With a height and reach advantage, Martin had planned to rely on her
boxing skills to stay out of trouble and score with long-range shots.

However, once the stocky Armenian moved inside to land her powerful
hooks, she was clearly shaking her challenger.

Martin, under fire in the second round, gamely tried to turn the
fight her way but was pressurised again in the third.

She was dropped to the canvas by more heavy hooks before the referee
signalled the end with the German fans celebrating another success
for the ‘Killer Queen’.

NATO’S SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE TO VISIT SOUTH CAUCASUS COUNTRIES

Trend News Agency
11.09.2007 19:16:48

Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend corr.A.Ismaylova, E.Huseynov / The special
representative of Secretary General of NATO in the South Caucasus,
Robert Simons, will visit Azerbaijan on 27-29 September.

>From 24 to 26 September Simons will visit Armenia, where he will meet
with the high ranking officials of Armenia. From 26 to 27 September
Simons will visit Georgia, and then Azerbaijan.

The issues concerning the Program on individual partnership between
Azerbaijan and NATO, as well as the current bilateral relations and
the regional issues are planning to discuss at the meeting.

FIGHT OVER THE EVENT CALLED PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IS POSSIBLE ONLY IN CASE OF LEVON TER-PETROSYAN’S PARTICIPATION, DAVID SHAKNAZARYAN IS SURE

ArmInfo
2007-09-10 12:35:00

‘Taking into consideration significant weakness of the political
system of the country and sickness of the society, one can say for
sure that the fight over the event called "presidential election
in Armenia" is possible only in case of the former president Levon
Ter-Petrosyan’s participation, a member of the Armenian Pan-National
Movement, the former national security minister, David Shaknazaryan,
told journalists in Azdak club, Saturday.

He also added that this fact is obvious for the supporter as well as
rivals of the ex-president, since there nas never been a politician of
such a level and scale over the whole history of the Armenian people.

Asked by Arminfo correspondent who guides the talks about
Ter-Petrosyan’s running for president when the latter is silent,
Shakhnazaryan replied that in the created conditions the tendency
is natural, incidentally the pro-power mass media are more active in
the process than more or less independent ones.

Touching on the prospect of holding democratic reforms in the country,
he said that one cannot mix up fair voting with fair election. ‘In
many countries of Latin America people vote without any violation,
but this does not make possible to call the election as fair. And
if today’s situation does not change, it can change only in case of
Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s running for president, in that case I don’t
rule out that the power candidate may gain a victory over the fair
voting but not election’, – David Shaknazaryan thinks.

AMBARSUM ASHATURYAN CAPTURED IN AZERBAIJAN WRITES TO HIS MOTHER SAYING HE DOES NOT WANT TO RETURN TO ARMENIA

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan

Sept 7 2007

Armenian Army soldier Ashaturyan Ambarsum Mnakovich, who has given
himself up to Azerbaijani side recently, wrote to his mother living
in Lipetsk city of Russia. APA has got the letter written in Armenian.

The following is the full text of the letter: "Dear mother, I think
you are informed about my state. I had no one to take care about
me in Armenia. I was sent to serve in Mardakert region of Nagorno
Karabakh. And my hard days started by that. The commanders treated me
badly from the very day. I must say in Armenia, Karabagh-Armenians
treat local residents the same bad way they do in Karabkh, even
worse than that. I was often beaten and hear bad language. Illness
and death cases occur more among soldiers. When you want ordinary
medicine, they say "wait, you will be given as soon as it is brought
from abroad." Therefore, I could not stand any more and broke out of
the military unit. I lost the way when I was trying to pass Armenia,
and Azeri soldiers captured me. I have been living a capture life for
many days. I cannot return to Armenia any more, I fear they would kill
me. So, I want to get to you. Please, talk to officials in Russia
to help me. Try to often contact the Committee of the Red Cross,
they can probably repatriate me to a third country.

Good bye, mum. Tell my sister not to miss me. I am in good condition
here. I am supplied with food and water in time. Yours, Ashaturyan
Ambarsum Mnakovich."

Ashaturyan was born in 1984 in Armavik region of Armenia. He
was conscripted on May 17, this year. He trespassed on Azerbaijan
attributing the case to mass bullying, use of torture and ill-treatment
in Armenian Army.

The ICRC office in Azerbaijan told APA on 3 September, this year that
the Committee representatives visited the Armenian solder for the
second time and condition was provided for him to exchange letter
with his family members.